3 things you can do to ‘keep it REAL’ when going Live!

22 Sep 3 things you can do to ‘keep it REAL’ when going Live!

If you have not gone live on your page before, and you’re wondering how the hell you’re going to do it without coming across like a noob, or not coming across authentically, not true to you, then I’ve got 3 tips for you to help you ‘keep it Real’ when going Live on your Facebook business page.

If you’re anything like me, you worry about that kind of thing. Keeping it Real? I don’t want people to see me online and think that I’m not being me, that I’m being larger than life, that I’m being false. I’m talking to you hon, if you’re an entrepreneur, especially an online entrepreneur or small business owner, because you ARE your brand. When you go live it’s to people who potentially know you and have met you in person or online right? They know what you’re really like, they know what you’re about, and they’ll be able to see through your bullshit when you’re not coming across authentically on video. And if you sell products and your customers don’t necessarily know you, you are still intrinsically linked to your brand, your personality needs to come through, people want to know the person behind the products.

So, I want to give you three tips today to help you come across a whole lot more naturally on live video, the way you do in real life because it’s really important. Video doesn’t hide anything, you know? It reveals everything, which is ironically, what makes it so powerful as a medium to really connect and engage with your audiences. People are going to work out pretty quickly whether they like you or not. They’re also going to work out pretty quickly whether you’re being false or true to yourself in the way you come across.

So let’s get to it!

Here are my 3 tips for you to keeping it real when going Live:

Tip #1 Pretend you’re chatting to your best friend

Keep your live video conversational and light, the way you would talking to your best mate. Don’t try to be something you’re not. Your mate will see through your shit. In order to do this, you might actually want to cover up your screen! If you’re using your phone, you might want to cover that up so that you’re not staring at yourself the whole time. Just think about the fact that if your best friend was standing there right in front of you, how would you be talking to her? Don’t exaggerate or do anything differently to what you would if you were sitting and chatting to your best friend.

Now, I know it’s easier said than done, because you’re likely going to be nervous anyway, so the last thing you want to be doing is staring at your face and then seeing the little words ‘LIVE’ up above, looking for the numbers of viewers, and getting all panicky about who’s watching or worse, who’s not watching. Really, it’s better to just be quite oblivious to all that and just pretend that you are there chatting to your best friend or your partner, or whoever’s special to you and puts you at ease. And if you’ve got a photo of them to remind you that they’re there with you in spirit, then use it! Stick it on the screen even – so you don’t keep looking at yourself!

And just a little side tip from this tip, tip #1a – it’d be a pretty cool idea to get your bestie to watch your live later and get their opinion on whether they think you were actually coming across authentically or not, because they’re going to know, right? It’s a really good idea to get their feedback and be aware of the nuances in the way you come across in real life that perhaps you don’t show when you ‘perform’ on camera. I suggest you ask them because they’ll give you the truth and it won’t be as biased as your own feedback let’s face it!

Tip #2 Do not stare down the barrel of the lens, okay?

Don’t eyeball me. People don’t eyeball each other in face to face conversations the whole time, so don’t do it in video. When people talk to each other face to face they look away, they look up, they look down, they look around and they look at different parts of people as well. We don’t always eyeball each other the whole time. We just don’t. If we did, we’d make each other feel really, really uncomfortable.

Don’t feel like just because you’re talking to the lens, that you have to stare down the barrel of that lens the whole time. You really don’t have to. You definitely need to know where the lens is, and you need to make eye contact with the lens rather than the screen, because then you won’t be making eye contact with your viewer at all, which is even worse. So definitely be aware of where the lens is and look at it from time to time but but don’t feel like you need to eyeball it the whole time. Instead look at things around you, you can refer to notes placed around you if you want to. That’s another way to help you come across the way you would in a real conversation, don’t be eyeballing the lens the whole time.

Tip #3 Share something personal.

Share something personal about you or about a situation, or something you’ve been thinking about, or something you’ve just experienced, or noticed, that’s going to help give people some insight into who you really are and what you’re all about, other than your work.

It doesn’t mean you have to share something deep if that’s not you. It could just be giving people a little bit of insight into what your life is like outside of your profession. If you’ve got kids and you don’t mind your kids being online, maybe do a live with them around, or show people your office, or the space where you work. Sharing something personal about yourself doesn’t have to be informational but it should be insightful and give them a sense of who you really are, beyond your brand and your business.

If you do share something personal, something you’ve overcome, a way you’ve changed, a transformation you’ve experienced, that is a really great way to connect with people in a way that makes them feel that you’re accessible and really, just like them. It shows we’re all human, we all experience the stuff in life that brings us together in the shared experiences. The more you can open up about that the more you allow people in and the more they can trust you.

So they’re my three tips for you guys to help you keep it real online and just not feel so unnatural or awkward when you’re going live. When you watch back and look at yourself (and I do recommend that you do that, you don’t want to feel, “ugh, god, what was I doing?” You want to be able to see yourself and recognise yourself being true to form. Likewise, you want your best friend or your partner to be able to watch it and say, “Yeah, that’s you.” That’s the end goal, right?

That’s the end goal that I believe in, anyway. If you’re interested in doing live video and you also want to come across authentically and be true to yourself, if you want to show up and be the real you then that is what I love to help people do. I’m all about us being real, first and foremost. (Followed closely by being remembered and being revolutionary!)

And if you’re not quite ready to go it alone and you need a supportive kick in the butt and some accountability to get yourself out there and ROCK IT LIVE on your Facebook page in just 3 weeks then here it is!

ROCK IT LIVE – a 3 week online program designed to equip you with an idea, a goal, a plan and the opportunity to prep and practice with a team and a buddy, who’ll hold you accountable to going Live 3 times on your Facebook Page in one week.